Review buku : A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R.R. Martin

Fyuuuhhh akhirnya kelar juga bacanya *kipas kipas*. What an awesome read, bener-bener blew my mind.

Karena saya masih suci dari spoiler dan gak punya kesempatan nonton serialnya, saya betul-betul menikmati buku tebal ini. Saya jadi tahu kenapa orang-orang pada tergila-gila sama Game of Thrones, buku ini memang candu, meracuni hati dan pikiran. Di tempat kerja kepikiran terus pengen cepat pulang lanjut baca. :)

Ahhhh, benar-benar deh, ini buku yang plotnya paling epic yang pernah saya baca. Cintaaaa, pokoknya saya jatuh cinta dengan buku ini. Dan saya beri buku ini 5 bintang yang berkilauan seindah batu akik, dengan alasan sebagai berikut :

1. Dari awal sampai akhir ketegangannya nggak pernah turun. Penuh dengan petualangan, perang, politik, perebutan tahta, penghianatan, sex, kekerasan, ughhh pokoknya komplit.

2. Membuat emosi saya meluap-luap, otak saya meleleh, dan mengakibatkan kelelahan fisik dan mental just the way I like it. Saya, kalo baca buku ini mirip ibu-ibu yang nonton sinetron, emosi sendiri sampe teriak-teriak gaje n jedotin kepala ke kursi saking serunya.

3. Karakternya lengkap, dari yang lovable pengen aku peluk (Arya, Bran, dan Jon) sampe yang pengen dijambak *cough*Joffrey dan Cersei *cough*.

4. Perkembangan karakternya jelas terutama Tyrion dan my love, my moon, my Khaleesi Daenery , aghhhhh, dari yang masih lugu sampe berubah jadi ibu naga, perkembangannya alami dan tidak dipaksakan.

5. Plot yang tidak tertebak, bisa saja karakter yang kamu puja-puja di awal tiba-tiba mati dengan tragis di tengah-tengah buku. Seperti saya yang sempat mogok baca dua hari gara-gara si Itu dibunuh sama penulis, sampe sekarang saya gak rela kalo si Itu mati, sakit hati bangetttttt.

6. Cliff-hanger yang menyiksa, naga nya baru muncul eh sudah ending *lempar buku* .

Book Review : The Martian by Andy Weir

Mungkin sebelum masuk ke inti pembahasan ada baiknya kalo saya melakukan pengakuan dosa dulu: saya baca ebook bajakan, download dari t*rrent, dan sekarang saya merasa bersalah dan menyesal, buku sebrilian The Martian tidak layak diperlakukan seperti ini.

Liat cover langsung wuoooh, heh?. Kok astronotnya kayak di gurun Sahara terus kena badai pasir gitu?. Kok warnanya gak gelap? *krik*. Maaf pemirsa, karena kurangnya pengetahuan saya di bidang astronomy, jadi kalo ngomong luar angkasa pikiran saya langsung terbayang tempat yang gelap, dingin dan penuh batu meteor. Belakangan baru saya tau ini lokasinya di Mars (woy judulnya udah jelas2 The Martian!!!). Seperti di bumi, planet mars juga ada siang dan malamnya, dapat sinar matahari, ada gurunnya, trus ada badainya juga.

Karena bukunya dalam English, maka mulailah saya sok sok-an membaca walaupun dengan level bahasa inggris saya yang masih saingan sama Tukul Arwana. Ceritanya sebenarnya simpel, berkisah Mark Watney seorang astronot yang "ketinggalan" sendirian di planet Mars. Ia harus bertahan hidup di permukaan planet Mars yang tidak mendukung adanya kehidupan, melawan badai, suhu dan tekanan yang rendah, kurangnya oksigen, tidak adanya air, persediaan makanan yang menipis dan tidak bisa berkomunikasi untuk minta tolong ke bumi. Sedangkan di bumi, NASA dan pemerintah bahu membahu melawan waktu berusaha mengirim bantuan, sebelum Mark Twain tewas melawan kejamnya planet Mars.

Kedengarannya sangat depressing ya, but no no no, buku ini tidak bikin depresi seperti di film Gravity nya Sandra Bullock atau Cast Away nya Tom Hanks, jauh dari itu, sebagian besar isi bukunya lucu, gak percaya baca sendiri hehehe. Yang lucu bukan plot nya tapi si pemeran utama Mark Watney. Itu orang lucu, ceroboh, kalo ngomong gak ada saringannya, nerd. tapi dia pintar (botanis, engineer, chemist), periang, banyak akal dan tidak gampang menyerah hehehe.

Dan jangan berharap adanya kemunculan alien di sini, no no no, buku ini menyuguhkan hal-hal yang realistis saja. Buku ini memberikan pesan betapa pentingnya sains untuk bertahan hidup. Tidak menutup kemungkinan kan, suatu saat kita tersesat di suatu tempat dan kita hanya mengandalkan akal untuk menyelamatkan diri.

Settingnya di tiga tempat, di Mars, di bumi, dan di roket yang seharusnya membawa kembali Mark Watney ke bumi.

Untuk bagian di Mars, kita akan berhadapan dengan sudut pandang si Astronaut yang dituangkan dalam semacam diary a la Princess Diaries gitu. Jadi, siap siap saja berhadapan dengan gaya bahasa yang humoris, absurd, nyeleneh, dan apa adanya. Satu lagi, ingat-ingat kembali pelajaran matematika, fisika , kimia dan biologi kamu karena akan sangat berguna. Percaya deh!.

Halaman-halaman pertama saja saya sudah kaget, kemudian terpingkal-pingkal. Ini buku science fiction atau bukunya Raditya Dika sih. Penjelasan yang harusnya serius ujung -ujungnya ngakak gara-gara ditambain line-line yang lucu sama si Mark Witney. Puncaknya waktu dia ngumpulin eek nya sendiri untuk dijadikan pupuk buat tanam kentang, itu bikin saya gak tahan, ketawa sampai sakit perut.

Sedangkan bagian yang di bumi, diceritakan dengan sudut pandang orang ketiga, tetap lucu dengan dialog yang cerdas a la serial tv amerika, agak "drama", tapi tidak semenyenangkan bagian di Mars, dan diselipkan sedikit intrik politik. Tiap baca bagian ini saya pengen cepat-cepat lanjut ke bagian nya Mark Watney.

Bagian yang di roket ahhh, saya merasakan persahabatan Mark dengan astronot yang lain, mereka rela melakukan apa saja dan mengorbankan nyawa mereka sendiri untuk menyelamatkan Mark.

Buku ini juga berhasil bikin saya nangis (dikitttt) bahagia, tegang, tahan napas, lalu kemudian sujud syukur, dan sempat juga sedih kasian sama Mark di beberapa bagiannya tapi tidak usah saya tuliskan lebih rinci, baca sendiri lah.

Overall, buku ini ibaratnya Armageddon + Gravity + Cast away + selipan tulisan Raditya Dika. Memikat saya dari kalimat pertama. 5 bintang untuk :

1. Karakter utama yang unik dan lovable,
2. humor yang bikin saya ngakak,
3. suspense yang terjaga dari awal sampai akhir,
4. science, science, science, and math.
5. Dialog a la serial TV komedi Amerika hehehe.

See you at the next book.

Book Review : Jurassic Park

Note: I am terribly sorry if you find I made so many grammar mistakes in my babbling here. English is not my first language. I'm still learning. I just have to write something to express my excitement about this book. And also, in order to release the adrenaline that build up pressure in my body and it can burst out anytime after reading this great book. I wrote this in english because I read this book in english ;) .

Fyuuuuuh finally, finished this book, oh my goooddd what an intense reading. For the first half of this book I have to stumbled to open Google translate app on my phone every time I find difficult since-y words, but it didn't make me put this book down. I even read it in class on my smartphone when I supposed to watch my students do their test. I didn't even hear my student asked how many time left. I even ignored a girl who need extra paper, I didn't even care if they're cheating or not. I just want to know if Tim and Lex survive till the end. (Please don't tell the headmaster).

I love this book, I love it. I love how the intensity build up and make me clutched hard my phone, I love Tim and Lex, I want to punch Mr. Hammond, and Malcolm's explanations about chaos theory and nature give me somethings to think of before I go to bed hehehe.

I don't want to talk about the science part about this book, I'm not an expert in science. I just want to say I'm fascinated by Malcolm philosophic thoughts. And Alan Grant's warm blooded dinosaurs make my brother went like really, I have to tell my teacher.

And thank you for the internet especially Google and Wikipedia for providing the images and explanations of all kind dinosaurs mentioned in this book, and information about chaos theory, and DNA/RNA compositions.

Now, I'm curious about the movie, I totally should watch it this weekend. I think I've seen it with my family long time ago, but i don't remember any scene from the movie.

+555555 stars, I want more!!!

Review: Famous Five #1: Five On A Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

(note: please forgive any grammar mistakes in this review, english is not my first language, i wrote this as a part of my writing practice to learn english)

I awfully jealous toward people who got an opportunity to read this series when they were still a little kid. I found and download this little treasure weeks ago for free from a website that i forgot its name, but my long to-read list prevent me to read this book.

Reading this book make me want to run to the nearest super market and buy a time machine. I thought I have to go back to the past, when i only ten years old chubby kids with a simple mind to fully enjoy this book. But, a 25 years old chubby guy with a jumbled mind will do too. Through this book i resurrect my adventure spirit that slowly dying as i grow up. I want to be a part of Julian and the gang too.

I found several interesting words that we'd never found in the children's book these days: awfully, jolly, golly, gay, and queer. Oh golly, imagine how queer the moms face if they found those two latter words.

And oh it must be jolly to have my own Timothy and be gay with George, Julian, Dick, and Anne. I gave 5/5 stars to bring my childhood spirit back.

I Pooped In The Bush

Salupangkang, February 6th 2015.

 Dear friends,

 Being here at my uncle's little house in the middle of empang and  under the glaring Salupangkang's sun, makes me realize how ungrateful i am with all  facilities and comfort that I have at home. My ordinary life at home  might be a luxury for other people. There's must be somebody would kill  to switch place with me.

A day without clean water and decent toilet can  turn me crazy. An hour without phone reception makes me anxious,  glaring at signal bars. A humid and dirty places makes me sweat like a  pig and then soon itches spreading on my delicate  skin. Cold  temperature would affect my nose and turned it to rivers. And sleep a  night on the floor make my muscles and back ache for the next three  days. Yes, I admit it, I am a big soft whiny baby.

 Visiting my  uncle's place  never occurred in my mind before. It's in a remote area  that you can only  reached by foot or motorcycle if you have a riding  skill level God. We have to crossed vast palm farms, Balinese village,  corn fields, dams, and endless ponds that contained with bandeng fishes.

 As soon as I got here, I asked my uncle where's the toilet. I have to pee. He  take me to the back yard, and with an evil smirk on his face show me the  place they called public toilet, an open air toilet he said, corn fields!, no way!!. No walls, no  holes, just a field. Chose a tree he said. Oh, okay, I know what it  mean. So, i did it and leaked on it hahaha. I wanted to wash my hand, he  pointed to the right, at the corner beneath a big tree there's a well  with yellowish --like tea-- water in it, and its smell (when you put a  bucket of water under your nose, and sniff it) like a ... I don't know  what to call it, it's a mixed of soil, dumpsters and a little bit dead mouse smell in it. I gagged,  groaned NOOO!!. I won't let that water touch my skin even to wash my  hand. My uncle just shrugged and offered the water that supposed to be for our  drink in the kitchen he took from a mosque's well three kilometers from  here, but i refused. I'm not that evil. I'll endured this torture, I  just have to strengthen my stomach and nose in the next three days.

I asked my uncle what should I do when I need to poo?. It's easy he  said, I just need to pick a good spot, where people can't see me. The  best spots are at bushes that surrounded corn field. Just squat, and do  your business.

 What??? Really???. Are you kidding me?? I can't believe my ears. But,  but, but, What if there are people walk by and see my smooth like a  baby's butt?. What if they snapped a picture of me pooped in a corn  field? What if they ask me politely is spot next to mine is free, and if  they can do their business next to me?. What if they tell me I'm on  their favorite spot?. He just smirk and said cover your face with sarung, so no body  will see your face and vice versa.  I told him I can't live a lifestyle  like this. I can't even survive for a day. I still don't understand, in 2015, there are people who thinks toilet is not an essential part of the house.

And suddenly a thought crossed  my mind. Is that why these corn trees look so healthy?. Are our poop  supposed to be fertilizers for this field?. Huekksss... I'll never eat  corn ever again. I wanted to ask him about it but he already back to the  house.

 But hey, I already survive one and a half day here. And I tell  you a secret, I pooed in the bush this morning. I can't help it, early  morning my stomach churned, I want to poo so bad.  I ate two plates of  rice and a big bandeng fish for dinner. So, I gulped and summoned all of  my courage. I rushed through the back door, and look for a best spot in the  bush. And squat. At first twenty seconds I feel dreaded, and look at  surround me wildly, but then I feel calmer and even enjoyed it.  It felt  great and very natural. You should try it too, sometimes. It's good for  you, it can help to improve your self esteem.

And no, I still not eat  that corn yet, but my uncle cook them in the kitchen now.